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By Liz O'Connell
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One of the common ways owners predict how large their puppies will grow is based on the size of their paws, but in this case a shock was in store for a family who were sold a young German Shepherd.
VetStreet backs up the paw theory, saying typically big dogs start out with large puppy paws and smaller dog breeds have smaller paws.
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So TikTok user @nattyjo884 expected their puppy to grow into a full-sized German Shepherd. This dog breed typically stands between 22 and 26 inches, weighing around 50 to 90 pounds.
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People told the owners that the puppy's paws were "huge" and to give it a few weeks before she really grew big. But those weeks and months flew by without the pup growing into what they expected.
Turns out their dog was not a true German Shepherd. Instead, they got a German Shepherd and corgi mix who was truly leaning into the corgi's height vibes. The owner's June 7 TikTok video showed how their puppy looked four months later and she still looked the same.
The caption reads: "We love our teeny tiny babe."
The text on the video said that the puppy did not grow at all in those four months, calling her their "pocket-size German Shepherd." One would think a German Shepherd or any mix of the breed would be larger than a toddler, but not this dog.
The clip shows her next to the couple's toddler and she's significantly smaller. However, her large paws still steal the show.
Newsweek reached out to @nattyjo884 via email for additional comment.
This wouldn't be the first time an owner was taken aback by how their puppy changed since first bringing them home. One person learned the "sick puppy" they rescued grew exceptionally large front legs because the back legs were injured. Within three years, the dog looked unrecognizable.
Another dog parent expected a typical 25-pound French bulldog, however, what they got was nearly double. The Frenchie grew to be 45 pounds.
Viewer Reactions
The TikTok video of the short Shepherd quickly amassed over 1.7 million views, 208,900 likes, and 507 comments as of Tuesday.
"She is perfect the way she is. Adorable," commented a viewer.
People echoed their similar experiences: "Same thing happened with my dog, he grew long but not in height."
Others thought this dog resembled a famous fictional character: "It's Scrappy from Scooby doooo!"
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our "Pet of the Week" lineup.
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